Page 69 of Beneath the Surface

My heart stutters. “I don’t think I can talk about that.”

His nostrils flare, his eyes searching mine. “I’m afraid I already know.”

Alex isn’t a stupid man.

A sob breaks out of me, and he catches it with his lips, sucking in my cries and letting them rest on his tongue. I don’t say any more about it. I can’t. But I don’t need to, because Alex brings me in close and lets me shatter in his arms.

And for the first time I’m not worried about sweeping up the pieces.

32

Mason

When you know something, you just know.

She doesn’t have to say the words, I can piece things together well enough. It’s unexplainable, the feeling of wishing like hell you could erase someone’s pain, but knowing there’s nothing you can do. She cries in my arms, and I breathe in her hurt, hoping that somehow letting her relieve her burden and place it on my shoulders will help her find some peace.

But the shadows of monsters linger long after they’re gone. The best we can hope for is to pull ourselves from the darkness.

I didn’t intend for the date to end up this way, and then suddenly,boom.Just like that, some of the information I’ve been dying for since I first walked intoDina’s Dinerfell into my lap. None of it explains why she ran away. If anything, it makes indecision flare even stronger in my gut, because more than ever, it’s clear that Chase isn’t the bad guy. He seems to be one of the best.

And it’s that realization which makes a small piece of me think about giving him the information he’s desperate for, jumping on my bike and getting the hell out of Dodge before my father even steps foot into Arizona. Giving Lily back to someone who will love her unconditionally. Who won’t keep things from her that she deserves to know.

But as soon as the thought starts to grow, I rip it out from its root. I can’t doanythinguntil I tell her everything.

I have to come clean.

Leaning in, I press another kiss to the top of her head, her sobs dying down, slight hiccups the only thing that remains. It’s ironic, how she was running toward the vision of the perfect family I was trying to escape.

“I’m s—sorry,” she stutters. “I ruined the date.”

I smile, my hand smoothing the flyaways of her hair. “Little bird, without you, thereisno date.”

She sinks lower until she’s lying with her head in my lap, her gorgeous hazel eyes peering up at me with all the trust in the world, and I know that now is my moment. I could lay it all on the line and beg for her forgiveness. Wipe the slate clean and tell her that I swear to fuckingGodI’ll never abuse her trust again.

But selfishly, I want more time, even though I know I don’t deserve it.

I run my hand through her hair, peppering her face with kisses instead, and she giggles, the sound lighting up my chest like a strobe light.

“I didn’t think it would be this easy,” she sighs.

My brow quirks. “What would?”

She waves her hand between us. “This.I mean... it’s not easy. Saying things out loud has never been my strong suit.” Her nose scrunches. “Not the words that really matter, anyway. But it feels nice to have someone who knows about my past.”

I continue smoothing her hair. “What made you leave?”

Her brows raise and my heart slams against my ribs, hoping I’m not wading into dangerous territory. But I need to know. Maybe if she tells me what I want to hear, the guilt will loosen its choke hold around my neck.

“What made me leave my family? Drugs.” She raises her arms, showing off her tattooed-covered scars. “What made me leave Tennessee entirely? A psychotic ex-boyfriend who I’m terrified will find out about his son.”

Her brows draw down, her fingers scratching in a staggered rhythm against her wrist and I… feel like a piece of shit at how relieved I feel that I finallyhave a reason to not give her up to her brother.

For her safety.For Chase.

Another tear seeps out of the corner of her eye, and my chest burns at the sight. I don’t have nice words to say or anything that can lessen the sting of her memories, so I stay quiet instead, hoping that holding her through it will be enough.

“Let’s talk about you now.” She gives me a sad smile. “What do your parents do?”

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